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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Chaos Cup 2013 Wrap-Up": Awards, Final Thoughts & Looking Forward

It is amazing how much happens in just a few days at something like this.
Conventions & Tournaments are great experiences. Not that leagues and normal club gaming isn't good, but these are like vacations. They drop little marker stones along the past.

The Chaos Cup

The winner doesn't actually get to take this home, but they do get to lay their grubby mits on it and hold it over their head for a photo, and eventually there will be some kind of engraving plaque I heard, for the names of those who have won it.

Maybe me someday?

Not going to hold my breath waiting for the skill...

still, the world can be his who can roll strings of 6's.. but again... I won't hold my breath.

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One last play I saw in the last game. I went to go see how Dan was doing, and was treated to one of the most impressive almost-brilliant plays I've ever seen.

Dan's Chaos Dwarves were playing Steve's, from the podcast Both Down, Lizardmen.

The game was a tie and it was the last turn of the game.

Steve Dodges with his Kroxigor (a big lumbering lizard with the agility of a Redwood) who doesn't have Break Tackle, he has Pro (a 4+ re-roll once per turn). Makes his dodge! Goes to pick up the ball (also nearly impossible for this creature) and snags the ball! He runs, but he's 2 spaces away from scoring... so he Goes For It... makes it! Goes For It to score... rolls a 1! Fail! Rolls for Pro... fails it: Kroxigor falls on his face in the end zone: game ends in a tie.

Wow, that was some amazing skill from the Kroxigor, only let down by the easiest roll he had to make at the end. I was rooting for that Krox, it would have been glorious.

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The hall of the event was great. It didn't get hot, there was plenty of room and it didn't get too noisy.

Not pictured in the above, directly behind the field of view was Impact Miniatures.
Tom had a large store set up both days which was awesome. It gave it the feeling of a convention, and also meant you could pick up some items free of tax & shipping. I got some more Apes.. one can never have too many apes... and a cool laser cut standing scoreboard, and a felt Street Bowl pitch. Very cool.

The entries for the painting contests are just starting to come in. There were a lot of great entries, and again, it was very cool to actually have a painting contest: another aspect that made it feel like a convention instead of just a tournament.

Here was a fun entry. This is Chaos (pronounced "Chaz"),the mascot of the Chaos Cup in Slannesh style.
Chaos changes each year for the theme, and here (s)he is looking a lot like a Daemonette. If you turn the mini around you'd find tucked between it's legs evidence of the original gender.

So who won the whole thing?

David Granberg, of Sweden earned the honor of hoisting the cup.

He had an Undead team, which I heard had one or two Mighty Blow, Piling On Wights. Ouch!

Interestingly, 4 of the top 5 teams were Undead! The other being Dark Elves.
The top Wood Elf position was at #11 which surprised me, they're usually close to the very top at tournaments too.

There were a lot of awards given out, and with all of the raffle prizes, this meant a lot of goodies got doled out, which is always nice.

My friend Dan who I conspired with to go to Chaos Cup won Most Traveled from the US, beating me out by about 100 miles.

But I didn't go away empty handed.

I entered all three of the painting contest categories.

For Sideline Miniature, I entered my Frog Coach:

For Single Player Miniature, I entered my Dwarf Boar-rider, the "Norse Dwarf Deathroller"

(click to enlarge)

For Team I entered my Gators.

(I need to take a new picture of the team to include the Albino Alligator Star Player)

Best Sideline Miniature went to me, for my Frog Coach

Best Single Player Miniature went to me, for my Dwarf Boar Rider

Best Team went to Matthew for his Slann Team (see my report for Game Five)

and they had a final category, "Judges' Best of Show" award which was given to me for my Gator Team.

I was pretty blown away by all of that and very happy.
And Matthew's win was very well deserved for his lovely frogs.

So I got to pack 3 trophies to take home:

The trophies also came with some free minis, which I always appreciate!

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Thanks to everyone who had a hand in running Chaos Cup. It was a really good & well-run tournament.

So that was Chaos Cup for me, done and dusted.

But if anything, it has got me even more excited about playing more Blood Bowl!

Next year's theme is Tzeench, the god of change & magic & avians.

If I go, will I make a new team again, chaos of some type themed for Tzeench this time?

Of will I do something else.. I have so many teams I'm excited about, waiting for paint.

I did really enjoy playing the Psychedelic Furs, even though they were not a very competitive team, so I don't know.

But I have about 10 months to think on it..

The next tournament for me on the horizon is likely West Coast Quake, in Los Angeles, in January.

Thank you for those lovely reports, and congrats for all those well deserver painting awards!I'm glad you enjoyed the experience since it might mean more reports and articles on beautifully converted and painted minis/teams for Blood Bowl.Well done!:)

Thank you all! Glad people enjoyed the game reports, and didn't get too sick of so many similar updates (well probably some people did, but they just didn't read them ;)

Thanks also for the congrats on the painting awards. That was fun and an honor. I don't enter many competitions, not being a very competitive person, (internet forum contests not included, since those feel more like 'community show & tell first, competition second). But still, nice to win, can't deny.

Now I'm trying to decide what team to play in January... guess we'll find out!

I've been following these reports with great interest - i have fond memories of playing Bloodbowl back in the day.Bravo to you sir and congrats for winning those trophies!So next year will gave an avian feel? How about fielding another musically inspired team called the Black Crows? Or the Eagles? Or... Er.. Um...